2 Chronicles 2:1-18 (NKJV)
1 Then Solomon determined to
build a temple for the name of the LORD,
and a royal house for himself.
2 Solomon selected seventy
thousand men to bear burdens, eighty thousand to quarry stone in the
mountains, and three thousand six hundred to oversee them.
3 Then Solomon sent to Hiram
king of Tyre, saying: As you have dealt with David my father, and sent him
cedars to build himself a house to dwell in, so deal with me.
4 Behold, I am building a
temple for the name of the LORD my
God, to dedicate it to Him, to burn before Him sweet incense, for the
continual showbread, for the burnt offerings morning and evening, on the
Sabbaths, on the New Moons, and on the set feasts of the LORD our God. This is an ordinance
forever to Israel.
Note: The two books of Chronicles covers much of the same
historical events as the four books of Samuel and Kings, but does so after the
Exile to Babylon ends and there is more of an emphasis on grace than on the sin
and judgment of the earlier books.
Compare this to the Christian Gospels, which cover many of the same
events but with differing emphases. I
read recently that the Jewish Bible ends with the two books of Chronicles,
giving a hopeful view going forward.
When reading
these books, I try to compare and contrast the religious acts recorded with
what we do in church buildings on Sunday over much of the world. In so doing I found verse four of this
chapter interesting. Here Solomon is
beginning work to build the Temple in Jerusalem and he writes the king of a
neighboring country for skilled workers and raw materials for the project. What struck my attention was verse four,
which outlines the purpose and activities of the Temple. They are...
to dedicate (purpose)
burn incense
present showbread, made fresh regularly.
offerings morning and evening, and on Sabbaths, New Moons
and great feasts outlined in Scripture.
The fact that
this describes the great Temple of Jerusalem contrasts greatly with the humble
congregation, one of many in my town, that I serve. The priests of the temple represented the
whole nation of Israel, and my congregation is one of many thousands scattered
across the country. Still, the symbolism
of the activities of the temple speak to the values of worship in any Christian
congregation. First, the place was
dedicated, that is, it is declared holy and for sacred use. Christian theology would maintain the same
for the place we gather for worship, and for the congregation itself. The image of a temple made of people to house
the Lord is part of the New Testament (cf. Ephesians 2:19-22). Incense symbolizes the prayers of the people;
showbread represents the life-giving presence of the Holy Spirit; the
sacrifices remind us to be living sacrifices unto Christ (Romans 12:1-2). With this in the back of our minds, I
strongly hope that our participation in worship this Sunday will bring
encouragement and a refreshed presence of the Holy Spirit. We don't worship in order to receive, but God
does reward people who see Him. (Hebrews
11:6).
